Apple "sold out" of 1GB iPod shuffle till January

Apple Computer has sold out of its higher-capcity iPod digital music player and doesn't plan to restock until next year, according to a message on its Web site.

The $129 iPod is "Sold out for holiday," Apple said in a message on its online store. New stock of the original flash-based iPod is not expected until "mid-January."

Not surprisingly, mid-January is also the time Apple traditionally unveils its latest consumer products at the Macworld Expo trade show in San Francisco. This year's festivities are set to kick-off on January 10th.

At least one analyst has gone on record in saying that a new, smaller, version of the iPod shuffle is being prepped for a release around the same time.

"We are hearing of an even smaller form factor (smaller than a pack of gum) and the potential for the re-introduction of multiple colors," said American Technology Research analyst Shaw Wu in a research note from November.

Wu believes the new shuffle could come as early as January and said Apple's preparation for the product refresh was likely behind its recent move to add Hynix as a third supplier of NAND flash memory chips.

Apple introduced the iPod shuffle in 512MB and 1GB models on January 11th. The 512MB model -- which is still available from Apple and Amazon.com -- was termed the "first iPod under $100."

This I think highlights one of the dumbest things about Apples product marketing and development. They need to release new products BEFORE the Christmas shopping season, NOT RIGHT AFTER! Its silly to release new products in January after lots of people have just blown through a good chunk of their disposable income for the year.

Hopefully they are improving on that, with the release of the Nano and Ipod + Video before Christmas. But they should move MacWorld Expo to August if they are going to continue to use it as an event to launch products and draw attention. In August, if they have products available at anouncement, they could still capture a lot of back to school purchases, and have things released in time for Christmas.

Originally posted by biaachmonkieThis I think highlights one of the dumbest things about Apples product marketing and development. They need to release new products BEFORE the Christmas shopping season, NOT RIGHT AFTER! Its silly to release new products in January after lots of people have just blown through a good chunk of their disposable income for the year.

Hopefully they are improving on that, with the release of the Nano and Ipod + Video before Christmas. But they should move MacWorld Expo to August if they are going to continue to use it as an event to launch products and draw attention. In August, if they have products available at anouncement, they could still capture a lot of back to school purchases, and have things released in time for Christmas.

Like you said, they ARE doing better. iPod nano / video capable iPod, iMac, powerbooks, powermacs ALL just before the holiday season. They can't update EVERYTHING in October you know.

Originally posted by PorchlandSeriously, could the shuffle get any smaller and still be operated without tweezers? The only thing I can figure is that it will get squarer (or rounder) and less pack-of-gum-ish.

IMHO, the shuffle is small enough. Any smaller will be unoperational.

What Apple can do is same physical size, small internal circuitry, and bigger battery.

Originally posted by biaachmonkieThis I think highlights one of the dumbest things about Apples product marketing and development. They need to release new products BEFORE the Christmas shopping season, NOT RIGHT AFTER! Its silly to release new products in January after lots of people have just blown through a good chunk of their disposable income for the year.

Tons of companies release new products just after Christmas for that very reason. Everybody has just bought items and spent a lot and companies need to rekindle sales. What better way than to release a new range?

Apple's biggest two sellers were updated prior to Christmas though.

"When I was a kid, my favourite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school, wed all go play in his cave, and every once and awhile, hed eat one of us. It wasnt until later that I discovered Uncle...

Originally posted by biaachmonkieThis I think highlights one of the dumbest things about Apples product marketing and development. They need to release new products BEFORE the Christmas shopping season, NOT RIGHT AFTER!

No, that's not good marketing. Shifting huge volumes of a relatively old product - which despite competitive pricing will have high margins - over the Christmas period is the best way to generate a huge pile of cash. Leave the new product introductions until the new year because (a) the margins are lower, and (b) they will stimulate an otherwise slow market.

Not to mention all the kids and young adults that get money for Christmas...they can now go out and spend it all on the latest and greatest new products.

oh I also agree that its a good way to stimulate a slower season. OH and they also get to blow through their inventory at christmas so that when they do release a new product there isnt still a stock pile of old product.

does anyone know if you can take all your 401k earnings and just throw it all at apple? It may sound stupid but keeping in mind that I am new on the work scene and dont have a family, and i dont have any loose cash laying around and I really need to get in on the action. And doing so before Jan 10th i think would be ideal.

My complaint about the shuffle (I've owned one for many months now) is the switch on the back. Very difficult to operate after a while. They need to create a sliding switch that reliably locks in 2 positions. After nearly a year of use, it is difficult to hit the middle setting. As a matter of fact, I wouldn't mind the power switch being combined with the front click wheel/button. Y'know, you could hold it down and your selection would be confirmed with an audible cue in the headphones. That would also allow them to make the shuffle cheaper by eliminating a switch.

They just came out with the nano and 5G iPod a few months ago, and they will release updates to those models before X-MAS next year. I guess MacCrazy will be the only one without a 6G iPod under the tree next year.

Originally posted by biaachmonkieThis I think highlights one of the dumbest things about Apples product marketing and development. They need to release new products BEFORE the Christmas shopping season, NOT RIGHT AFTER! Its silly to release new products in January after lots of people have just blown through a good chunk of their disposable income for the year.

I would agree IF Apple had a history of being able to handle the demand on some of its new products.

If they release a great new product just before christmas they need to be ready to handle it or suffer a PR nightmare (and loss of sales). Can't you imagine the headlines "Apple's new XXXX is amazing - but nowhere to be found". Whet people's appetites and hand them to the not quite as good competitors?

Originally posted by biaachmonkieThis I think highlights one of the dumbest things about Apples product marketing and development. They need to release new products BEFORE the Christmas shopping season, NOT RIGHT AFTER! Its silly to release new products in January after lots of people have just blown through a good chunk of their disposable income for the year.

Hopefully they are improving on that, with the release of the Nano and Ipod + Video before Christmas. But they should move MacWorld Expo to August if they are going to continue to use it as an event to launch products and draw attention. In August, if they have products available at anouncement, they could still capture a lot of back to school purchases, and have things released in time for Christmas.

yes. i agree with above poster. afaik capitalism = supply and demand. overdemand = good. oversupply = bad. undersupply = usually not a bad thing. in fact, a good thing in capitalism because high demand + low supply = high prices.

apple not releasing new products in january = corporate harakiri (did i spell that right?). why? because january-march 2006 must have appropriate sales and profits that meet or exceed forecasts otherwise = low share price + low consumer confidence in the products + brand damage... and er, guess what, in january to march 2006 apple still has to pay employees, manufacturers, lawyers, etc. etc. etc.

apple computer as a business must continually generate sales and profits. continually = 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365.x days a year.

how come they don't teach this in high skool? wtf? geography and literature and shite. f**** that

Originally posted by GregAlexanderI would agree IF Apple had a history of being able to handle the demand on some of its new products.

If they release a great new product just before christmas they need to be ready to handle it or suffer a PR nightmare (and loss of sales). Can't you imagine the headlines "Apple's new XXXX is amazing - but nowhere to be found". Whet people's appetites and hand them to the not quite as good competitors?

in this case undersupply, yeah, can lead to negative brand perception. but as long as apple plays in that special space of "somewhat luxury but actually just damn cool and somewhat unique", undersupply can only fuel further demand due to relative rarity of products.

edit: remember that yes, if person A cannot buy a ipod shuffle then they might buy instead a creative something or other. if ipod marketshare was low then this is not so good. however, since ipod marketshare is okay, person not buying shuffle is no biggie because said shuffle was not manufactured in the first place (undersupply) and hence no cost needs to be recovered on that shuffle.

as long as there are enough ipods going around to keep ipod marketshare high, then nothing much to see here. though for the consumer it IS bloody frustrating. also, black ipods must be quite hard to find

macs on the other hand, if apple wants to hit 10% marketshare it MUST be able to supply macs in enough quantities to reach that marketshare. hence Intel as a major partner i would say, although, of course, totally different thread

Originally posted by kmok1IMHO, the shuffle is small enough. Any smaller will be unoperational.

What Apple can do is same physical size, small internal circuitry, and bigger battery.

It doesn't need to be so long. It could be a little thinner, but thin isn't so necessarily. Actually, the casing probably could be narrower so it can fit in more USB jacks, hooking it into to my USB hub means that it blocks off the adjacent ports. The slider on the back is a brain-damaged, hard to operate design that should be fixed.

I have no complaints with iPod battery life in general, smaller size devices make the devices more versatile to me, less pocket space and weight used. A charge lasts me several days to a week and I use one several hours per day. I have to be ruthless with what I carry in terms of what is on my keyrings and what is in my wallet, I don't see why other pocket items should be exempt.

Keep in mind the shuffle is probably the least competitive of Apple's products right now. For the same price there are competitors offering much more complete products. It isn't like when they were first released and Shuffles were cheaper but competitors offered things like radios or LCDs. Right now Shuffles are in need of an update or price drop.

"When I was a kid, my favourite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school, wed all go play in his cave, and every once and awhile, hed eat one of us. It wasnt until later that I discovered Uncle...

Originally posted by Telomar
Keep in mind the shuffle is probably the least competitive of Apple's products right now. For the same price there are competitors offering much more complete products. It isn't like when they were first released and Shuffles were cheaper but competitors offered things like radios or LCDs. Right now Shuffles are in need of an update or price drop.

right now the only thing the shuffle needs is more shuffles, not updates or price drops

Originally posted by boombashiThey just came out with the nano and 5G iPod a few months ago, and they will release updates to those models before X-MAS next year. I guess MacCrazy will be the only one without a 6G iPod under the tree next year.

They should not release an update to a consumer product just after the holiday season. It is a bad business move. Release an update at late February at the earliest to avoid aggravating your customers and making them wait in the future. An upgrade just before the holiday season is an excellent idea as it means everyone is buying a new product and people aren't waiting for another update.

I will upgrade my iPod when Apple can offer me a bigger hard-drive than I currently have (60GB).

Originally posted by MacCrazyThey should not release an update to a consumer product just after the holiday season. It is a bad business move. Release an update at late February at the earliest to avoid aggravating your customers and making them wait in the future. An upgrade just before the holiday season is an excellent idea as it means everyone is buying a new product and people aren't waiting for another update.

Apple's recent history says that you are wrong (for the reasons already stated in this thread).

I used to think the same way, but then I realized how wrong I was.

Holiday gifts need to be announced, released and available in September/October (November at the very latest).

Releasing product updates shortly after (January) is actually quite brilliant. First, you sell out of everything you currently have for Christmas...and then tap into the "Christmas gift money".

Apple is executing well on their marketing, product development, product planning, manufacturing, distribution and releasing. Apple knows how to run their business very well (or so it appears).

Originally posted by MacCrazyThey should not release an update to a consumer product just after the holiday season. It is a bad business move. Release an update at late February at the earliest to avoid aggravating your customers and making them wait in the future. An upgrade just before the holiday season is an excellent idea as it means everyone is buying a new product and people aren't waiting for another update.

I will upgrade my iPod when Apple can offer me a bigger hard-drive than I currently have (60GB).

CES occurs in early January and is an entire show dedicated to the release of new consumer electronics so the businesses disagree with you. It's like the sales after Christmas, everybody knows they are coming yet still they choose to shop beforehand. Buy what you want when you need it.

"When I was a kid, my favourite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school, wed all go play in his cave, and every once and awhile, hed eat one of us. It wasnt until later that I discovered Uncle...

I don't think that all that many people would wait till after the holidays, even aware that Apple would relese un upgrade to the product they are going to buy.

When you're buying stuff for yourself, of course you will wait when you hear a rumor that it will be upgraded in only a couple weeks. But for Christmas when your getting stuff for others, people don't wait till afterwards to give their gifts. If the new update for the product is not out, they're gonna get the older one.

Originally posted by FlounderLike you said, they ARE doing better. iPod nano / video capable iPod, iMac, powerbooks, powermacs ALL just before the holiday season. They can't update EVERYTHING in October you know.

Lots of people get money for Christmas, I give my daughter cash, I don't really know what to get her, Early to mid January is actually fairly busy at places like Best Buy

While this might not be a problem in the US it is worth telling friends about.

As for Apple selling out - there will still be inventory in the supply chain and probably a few stores. Maybe even some Apple Stores. I'm personally impressed that Apple could have cut the inventory management so close and have no problems with one line of iPods selling out. There are other lines available and it looks like the nano will be the other iPod that is very hard to get ahold of.

It all bodes well for something in January. Only 22 more days until the Keynote.

Originally posted by biaachmonkieThis I think highlights one of the dumbest things about Apples product marketing and development. They need to release new products BEFORE the Christmas shopping season, NOT RIGHT AFTER! Its silly to release new products in January after lots of people have just blown through a good chunk of their disposable income for the year.

Hopefully they are improving on that, with the release of the Nano and Ipod + Video before Christmas. But they should move MacWorld Expo to August if they are going to continue to use it as an event to launch products and draw attention. In August, if they have products available at anouncement, they could still capture a lot of back to school purchases, and have things released in time for Christmas.

I can't agree with you here.

There are good reasons for Apple to do it this way.

Look at the situation Apple has with the iPods. They are running out of product in Nanos. They are out of product for the 1GB Shuffle. Sales for the 5G's are much better than expected, and are benefiting from the out-of-stock situation of the Nano, so that some people are trading up.

Now look at Apple's sales throughout the year. The first quarter, the one we are in now, is Apple's biggest sales quarter for the year. The second quarter, the January quarter, is the slowest.

If Apple came out with new product for this quarter, they couldn't supply enough anyway - just as they can't now with "older" product. Therefore, there is no point in discontinuing the product at this time since it's selling so well.

But, next quarter is slow. What better way to bolster sales than to announce *new* product for this slow quarter?

This way, Apple has the best of both worlds.

Get rid of oldest product during the holidays, when they can sell more than they can make anyway, and intro new product to replace the oldest lines in January, when sales are at the low for the year, thus boosting them, and evening Apple's quarterly results

Originally posted by melgrossSales for the 5G's are much better than expected, and are benefiting from the out-of-stock situation of the Nano, so that some people are trading up.

I've had no problems finding 2GB nanos in either colour and I somewhat doubt people are upgrading from wanting 4GB nanos to 30GB iPods, the markets are too different. I suspect the 5G iPod is just the focus of increased demand.

"When I was a kid, my favourite relative was Uncle Caveman. After school, wed all go play in his cave, and every once and awhile, hed eat one of us. It wasnt until later that I discovered Uncle...

Originally posted by TelomarI've had no problems finding 2GB nanos in either colour and I somewhat doubt people are upgrading from wanting 4GB nanos to 30GB iPods, the markets are too different. I suspect the 5G iPod is just the focus of increased demand.

I don't know, I read that somewhere. They are different markets. you are right about that. But I read in several places that people who come in for an iPod want to go out with an iPod. This is the holiday season, after all. If it's a matter of getting the gift, or not getting one, then I can see it happening.